


Reach For the Fallen Star

by 00lanspresado00, multifacetedfangirl



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Accidents, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Getting Together, Hasegawa Langa In Love, Hospitals, Hurt Kyan Reki, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Kyan Reki, Insecurity, Kyan Reki Needs a Hug, Major Character Injury, No Beta, Pre-Relationship, Skateboarding, Whump, reki - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29695032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00lanspresado00/pseuds/00lanspresado00, https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifacetedfangirl/pseuds/multifacetedfangirl
Summary: Under the bridge, while practicing Langa's trick, Reki thinks about his skating past, and his relationship with Langa and skating now.orReki does some introspection, but should probably do some outrospection soon.
Relationships: ((but only a teeny bit)), Hasegawa Langa & Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 27
Kudos: 238
Collections: renga





	1. Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> Breaking into this fandom with a whump fic lol, because why not be sadder after ep 7 GOD
> 
> this hasn't been edited, posted at 3 am, so let me know if you see any issues
> 
> Part 2 should be up sometime tomorrow, I mean to finish the fic before the next ep airs lol, subscribe for the update notif
> 
> If you like it, kudos, comment, bookmark, tell a friend.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

_Push, flip, jump, hold, reach, fall._

Reki groaned as he rolled away from the wall, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Even now, he had come just short of the star, his fingers grazing just underneath. He was tired, sore, and frustrated, but he pushed himself up again. His head was ringing with memories of that afternoon, of watching Langa _fly,_ while he, like Icarus, fell short of his destination every time. 

> “ _Those with no talent should stay out!”_

The voices jeering at him started sounding suspiciously like Langa, and Reki shook his head, trying to clear away the fog that was setting in. Langa never said that, he wouldn’t. 

> _“People call you the one that’s not Langa!”_

This time, it was his own voice that attacked him. This one Reki couldn’t shake off. He’d been hearing it for weeks, what was adding new insults to its repertoire? The terror that had set in after his beef with Adam was choking him, pulling him down to earth as he tried to escape the pull of gravity. Langa, who had skated with Adam because of Reki, because of his failures, had come out of it unscathed. Reki knew that somehow, Langa wasn’t trapped by the fear that kept Reki from reaching the same heights as him. 

The pulsing fear inside Reki clawed at him from the inside, crawling into his throat and pushing down into his body, infecting every part of him. It wrapped itself around his limbs, forcing him to pick up his board, and try again and again and again and again. If he could just pull himself up to where Reki glides away from him so easily, maybe he would be worth it. Reki knew he wasn’t a natural talent like Langa was, he didn’t have the same innate skills, but he had determination, and he had experience. Reki _had_ to be able to stay with Langa, because once he slipped away from him, Reiki didn’t think he’d be able to catch him -to catch up to him- again. 

Reki remembered the look in Langa’s eyes, the sheer stubbornness that taught him how to do an ollie in mere days, and thought back to his weeks of effort. Was he not trying hard enough? Did Reki not love skating with the same passion that Langa had? What was he missing, what was it that was escaping his grasp, that left him struggling to catch up even after all this time? He had put in the time; years of practice, years of falling, of bleeding, of never, ever giving up. 

Why?

Why?

Why?

why?

w h y ?

_w h y ?_

  
  


Why was he never fast enough?

Why was he always left behind?

Why was he always alone?

  
  


~~why wasn’t he enough for him?~~

  
  


Reki, in a haze of focus, trudged back up to the top of the walkway, board loosely gripped in his hand. Each step felt heavy, and each breath he drew into his heaving chest felt choked and incomplete. Still, he wasn’t going to stop until he had made it. 

  
  


_Push, flip, jump, hold, reach, fall._

  
  


He couldn’t. 

He needed to be as good as Langa. Not just for himself, but for that incredible, reckless, genius skater that was his best friend. Langa, in all his excitement of being able to skate again, was blinded. He didn’t see the danger that awaited him in trying to outskate a man like Adam. The one who had created S, a place where _anything_ went, no holding back, no bar too low. 

Reki knew what Langa was used to. The two of them had spent hours lying on Reki’s bed, passing videos back and forth, skating and snowboarding alike. Langa had been a competitive athlete, someone who was used to rules and structure and limits. He had trained for years to a particular standard that everyone followed to some extent. There were referees and on-site medics and drug testing and safety precautions. 

_None_ of that existed at S; there was nothing protecting Langa from Adam and his weird mind games. 

Nothing, no one except Reki. 

Langa, that stupid idiot, had heard the stories, that Adam left his competitors broken. He had watched Reki fall into the same trap of bravado, watched him take a fall that could have killed him, and ignored every. single. sign. Langa saw nothing, except the next peak, the next height that he would conquer insultingly easily.

All Reki wanted to do was protect him. From Adam, from his own overconfidence, ~~from Reki~~. 

  
  


* * *

_Push, flip, jump, hold, reach, fall,_ **_crash_** _._

  
  
  


Reki was exhausted, and it was evident in his sluggish run-up to another tired attempt at the trick that Langa had pulled off almost carelessly earlier that same day. He rolled down the ramp, gaining speed, turned sharply onto the propped up board, and rode the momentum straight up the wall in front of him. Like every time, he pushed himself, stretching his arm out in front of him, reaching for the red graffiti star. On every attempt before, he had fallen short, and crashed to the ground gracelessly. 

This time, after hours of practice, after hours of failure, after hours of hearing those voices ruminate in his brain, as his skateboard hit the rough concrete wall with a thud, a crack sounded through the quiet of the late afternoon. 

Reki knew the sound of a broken wheel. He’d seen compilations of skaters landing too hard, and tripping over the cracked remains of the very thing that let them fly. Somewhere in the back of his head, he thought that he’d never seen someone break a wheel in the _middle_ of a trick. One for the history books…

His wheel gave away, and naturally, helplessly, Reki started falling. Every rule about falling safely, years of practice, of experience, gave way to the pure panic that gripped him, and in a moment of foolishness, Reki threw his arm out behind him to catch his fall. His approach to the cement beneath him shook something back into place, but not soon enough. Although he had managed to throw up one hand against his neck, his head was still unprotected. 

  
  


When Reki finally hit the ground -rough and unforgiving- his right arm, stretched behind him, took the first impact. The shock shuddered through his limb, and Reki felt a bullet of pain shoot into his shoulder. His arm gave way, and he fell the rest of the way, the back of his head cracking against the ground.

* * *

Reki was no stranger to injuries. When he had first gotten on a board, back in fifth grade, his mom had forced layers of protection on him. She’d heard the horror stories; of kids who had fallen wrong and nearly gotten themselves killed. So, Reki was equipped: helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, the whole nine yards. He made good use of them in the first couple years, but as he got more confident he started leaving pieces behind him. Eventually, Reki didn’t even bother with the helmet. When his mom found out, she forced him into self-defense classes to learn how to fall properly, and eventually let him skate without his helmet. The same one that he only ever remembered to wear when he rode behind Langa on the scooter. 

* * *

A wetness on his face jerked Reki back into consciousness. He was lying on the ground beneath the bridge, half underneath it. His face was drizzled with rain, and Reki looked up into a sky that was _much_ darker than he remembered it being. He could see the darkness of the sky, interspersed with the various lights of the nighttime, but couldn’t focus his eyes on anything. He tried to look down at his body, to take stock of the rest of his injuries, but the slight motion had him crying out, his head spinning from the pain. Giving up, he wiggled his body slowly keeping his apparently injured head completely still. His left arm, still beneath his neck, felt stiff and sore, but not any sharp pain. His legs were fine, probably the best of the bunch, considering they were dry too, hidden under the bridge. His right arm though, was splayed beside him, and Reki felt a sharp pain in his shoulder joint when he tested it. 

Lying in the rain, Reki wondered if this was his fall from the skies, his punishment for daring to try to fly as high. Icarus had drowned in the ocean, but Reki struggled to breathe through a sudden flow of water down his face. He couldn’t tell if it was rain or his tears soaking him through, however. 

As much as it hurt him to try and move, Reki couldn’t lie there forever. He slowly eased his left arm out from beneath his head, moving very carefully. Reki wasn’t blind to the dangers of head injuries, and right now he had no idea how badly he was hurt. Shifting even that little bit made the pain in his head flare, and he saw bright stars across his vision. When he finally was able to extract his hand fully, resting it on his chest, Reki lay there panting with the agony of the taxing movements. Eventually, he groped for his pockets, trying to find his cellphone. His first instinct was to call for Langa, but Reki knew that his mom would be beyond herself by now. His search was fruitless however, and Reki realized with a groan that he had left his phone tucked into his bag, lying no more than ten feet away from him, yet completely inaccessible. A weak whine left his throat, and Reki wanted to scream with frustration. He was helpless to help himself. All he could do was lie there and wait for someone to find him. Painfully, he moved his left arm back up to his face, to try and shield himself from the increasing rain as he prayed for someone, anyone to show up. 

* * *

A little ways away, at the door of the Kyan household, Langa stood under the meager cover of the trees, watching the rain pour down, with no Reki in sight. The redhead had been a bit distant in the last few days, and Langa wanted to talk to him properly, ask him what was wrong. He glanced nervously at his phone, the dozens of unread text messages worrying him. Reki was usually good about responding, even when he was out skating alone. After so many calls and texts, Langa was beginning to think that something was wrong. Remembering Reki’s warnings not to let his precious board get wet for too long, he pulled a plastic cover over the handmade board, and stepped into the rain to find his best friend. 


	2. Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Langa reminisces about his time with Reki, and continues his search for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow sorry this is late! i couldn't get the mood right. i'm not in LOVE with this chapter but hopefully y'all like it!
> 
> written once again entirely in the middle of the night, barely edited once, so i apologize. pov? yes, all of them, you're welcome. 
> 
> hope y'all enjoy this, thanks for all the lovely feedback so far!
> 
> EDIT 2/27 (just some grammar stuff i didn't catch last time)
> 
> UPDATE: DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND THERE WILL BE A HAPPY EPILOGUE AFTER THIS!!

_Earlier that Day_

Wind blowing through his hair, the ground flying beneath his feet, and the scenery around him whizzing past faster than he could take notice. If Langa closed his eyes, he could almost imagine the snow around him, the cold air biting at his skin. A whoop sounded through the air, and Langa opened his eyes to see a couple of middle school kids cheering as they watched him flip through the air, unburdened by gravity. The smooth landing left him giddy with success, and he turned to find Reki, to see how he liked his trick. 

Reki, who had given Langa his freedom back, had given him his wings, the ones he had thought he had left behind forever when he came to Japan. When Langa felt lost, disconnected from everything and everyone he’d ever known, Reki had been his anchor, giving him the inspiration to fly once again. He had been endlessly patient with Langa, helping him learn from the basics. Langa might have been an accomplished snowboarder, but this was a whole new territory, one that Reki literally had to take his hand and guide him through. 

Langa was so grateful to have met Reki. When his mom had told him that they would have to move back to Japan, he was worried about how he would deal with the change. The inability to read or write the language, not knowing anyone, not being able to snowboard anymore, all hovered over Langa like a cloud, terrifying him of what the next year held for him. But then, when he’d met Reki, who’d flown over him so gracefully, Langa had been entranced.

Reki, in his unending enthusiasm, had walked Langa through _everything._ Langa was almost overwhelmed by his energy, but once he had gotten that first ollie, he understood Reki’s excitement. Langa had been beyond grateful for even that, but then Reki went and _made him a custom board._ As if that wasn’t incredible enough, Reki understood every one of Langa’s hangups, everything that held him back, Reki figured it out. He figured out a way to keep Langa on his board, but not trapped. He figured out how to let Langa utilize every angle of his board’s reach with the addition of the world’s coolest swivel trucks. Reki was like a fairy godmother, granting his every wish with a sprinkle of magic and a lot of elbow grease. 

Langa had always been quiet, always been alone. Back in Canada, so much of his time was spent training and preparing for competitions, he’d never really been concerned with how many friends he’d had. But here, with nothing else to take up his free time, Langa had felt conspicuously alone. 

Until Reki. The vibrant redhead, constantly throwing his arms around Langa, dragging him places, sharing things with him, had forced himself into Langa’s life, and now, Langa couldn’t imagine life without him. 

Every day was carved around Reki. Langa met up with him in the morning, and the two flew through the streets together, flipping tricks and cheering each other on. Throughout the school day, Langa stuck with Reki, relying on him to translate when something slipped his less than impressive vocabulary. They spent lunches side-by-side, sharing lunch boxes, and running away from the school security as fast as Langa could skate. After school, they’d get bubble tea or something to eat, and then head to the skate park, set up their cameras, and try all sorts of tricks. Back when Langa was still trying not to fall over the minute he got on the board, Reki would laugh himself silly, and the smile that stretched across his face would leave Langa breathless and laughing himself. By the time they’d exhausted the last of the daylight, the two would trudge back home, walking instead of skating, so they could spend as much time together before they had to go and finish the school work they had been putting off for hours. Before they even left each other’s sightline, they’d have their phones out, and texting each other as they stumbled through their front doors. Langa was used to Reki always being there, his bright smile and booming laugh in every periphery of his day. 

So when Reki started pulling away, a little quieter, faking smiles and being overly enthusiastic, Langa realized the change immediately. He had wanted to confront Reki as soon as he did, ask him what was wrong, what Langa could fix for him, but he didn’t. Because he was scared- scared that Langa was the problem. That he had been too much for Reki to handle, had been too demanding of his time, had been too selfish. Langa was scared to hear that Reki didn’t want to be with him anymore. 

But Langa had seen the look in Reki’s eyes that afternoon, and he couldn’t leave it alone anymore. If Reki was hurting as badly as Langa could see, then Langa had to figure it out, even if it ended badly for himself in the end. Reki had done so much for Langa, had given him so much. He owed it to him. 

Langa had been worried enough about the changed behavior and cold looks, but when Reki ignored his calls and messages, and never showed up at home, Langa couldn’t let it go on any longer. 

His hood was doing little to protect him as he ran through the rain, but Langa was used to weather much worse than this. The first place he looked was the ramp where Reki had practiced for so long to beat Adam. The aftermath of that beef had left Langa with a cold ball of fury coiled so tightly in his stomach he felt like he would be sick, and Reki had made him promise something he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep. He had mostly tried his best, but Langa _needed_ to beat Adam, to avenge Reki, and if he had to be a bit reckless to do that, well, all’s well that ends well, right?

Soaking wet and thoroughly frustrated, Langa ducked underneath an awning to figure out where else he could look for his wayward friend. He hadn’t been at their usual skate park, their favorite coffee shop, or on any of the usual skate routes. Langa had almost resigned himself to running into every alley in town to try and find Reki, when he remembered a conversation from the beginning of their time together.

_“If you keep getting lost like this, you won’t have any time to actually skate.”_

_“I can’t help it! I can’t read any of the signs.”_

_“Okay, here give me your phone.”_

_“What’re you doing?”_

_“I’m adding you to my Find My Friends so I can keep track of you and tell you how to get around.”_

_“Oh cool, thanks.”_

Langa couldn’t remember if the tracking went both ways, but he said a silent prayer as he dug his phone out of his bag and opened up the app. Someone up there was watching out for him, because Reki’s tiny face popped up on the map. Langa squinted, trying to figure out where exactly he was, and gasped in realization. It was the route he had taken with Reki the morning before things started going badly! Langa tucked his phone into his bag again, and took off at a run, trying to get to his wayward redhead as soon as possible.

* * *

Something was digging uncomfortably into his hip, and Reki, not to be that one princess with a pea, couldn’t take it anymore. He took a deep breath to brace himself for the pain, and gingerly trailed his hand down to pull out whatever was bothering him. When he brought up the obstruction to his face, squinting to try and figure out what it was he was holding, a new wave of cold washed over Reki as he recognized the hard plastic of his wheel. 

Reki had been working with skateboards for years. The moment he had learned that there were ways to modify store bought boards, to make them ride better, to look cooler, Reki had been thrilled. He had learned all about how to mod skate decks and which trucks worked best and how to maintain the wheels to make sure that safety was a priority. He’d trained under a good mechanic, and was trusted enough to complete customer’s orders on his own. So when Reki looked at the remnant of his own broken wheel, Reki wondered where he went wrong. 

He didn’t _really_ have to wonder. Reki knew that the board he’s been almost obsessively focused on recently was Langa’s. He’d spent every spare moment trying to figure out how to idealize Langa’s board for him, so it would suit his unique style and skillset. It was a point of honor that his best friend had relied on him, completely giving him power to make sure that Langa would be at his fastest and safest on his board. While this meant that Langa had the world’s coolest board, it also meant that Reki had been putting off taking care of his own ride. When was the last time he’d checked his board over for cracks or fractures or any one of the imperfections that could spell danger for a rider? Reki remembered late night sessions in the shed, intricate designs and research, safety testing, all… for Langa. And now his wheel had broken on him, and broken _him_ in its wake, and the only one that Reki had to blame for it was himself. If only he had maintained his board better, if he had watched his limits- if, if, IF!

Reki let the plastic piece fall from his hand with clatter, and now the tears running down his face were unimpeded. He was the only one responsible for the mess that he was stuck in right now. HIs body shivered from the wet, cold rain, and Reki hissed as his injuries jostled with with the uncontrollable movements. God, he’d been so stupid. Reki was the mechanic. He was the one that made skateboards, and knew how they worked from the inside out. He should have been more responsible, he should have taken care of things. Reki remembered thinking that Langa was so useless about anything but riding the board, and how when he offered to teach him how to maintain his board, Langa had just pouted and said,

_“But that’s what I have you for!”_

At the time, Reki had groaned playfully, and punched him in the arm, but a warm feeling had settled in his chest, of being needed and important to Langa. Now look at him. Some destructive part of Reki was glad that it was his board that had broken, not Langa’s. Reki didn’t think he could handle it if Langa had been the one to hurt himself. The Canadian couldn’t even handle scraping his hand, how would he have reacted to an injury like this? Reki could almost hear his voice, calling him for help,

_“Reki! Reki oh my god, there’s blood! Reki, please get-”_

“-up! Reki! Oh god, please be okay, please please. Reki, I’m so sorry. Hang on I’m calling for an ambulance you’re gonna be okay you have to be please Reki oh god.”

_He_ was gonna be okay? Of course he was, it was Langa who would be complaining about his injuries right? But why was his internal voice so loud, why did it sound so close to tears and scratchy and hoarse? Why had the rain suddenly stopped, and what was that comforting warmth on his face?

* * *

As Langa approached the bridge, panting slightly from the long run, he saw a bit of red in the distance. Reki’s signature red hair beckoned him and Langa sighed in relief at having found him. Getting closer however, Langa realized that the red was unmoving on the ground, and when he called Reki’s name, there was no response. Langa sped up, heart beating almost out of his chest, desperate to reach Reki. 

Langa finally saw Reki, and he fell to his knees, frozen in fear. His best friend was lying in the rain, arm bent at an unnatural angle, body shivering minutely, and looking completely out of it. Langa was afraid to touch him, to hurt him anymore than he already was, but he needed to get Reki help. Fear raked its claws into his chest, but Langa inched slowly closer to where Reki lay, praying to anything that he would be okay. He finally hovered over Reki, blocking the rain falling on his face, and he carefully grasped Reki’s face in his hands. 

“Reki? Reki, can you hear me? Please get up! Reki! Oh god, please be okay, please please. Reki, I’m so sorry. Hang on I’m calling for an ambulance you’re gonna be okay you have to be please Reki oh god.”

Langa felt the warmth of tears dripping down his face, as he blindly dialed the emergency number into his phone. He stayed hunched over Reki, trying to protect him as best he could from the weather, because that was all he could do. His best friend was lying on the cement, broken and hurt, and all Langa could do was cover him from the rain. He felt so _useless_ , as he told the phone operator his location in broken Japanese, hoping that he had gotten everything right. 

The phone call made, Langa looked into Reki’s face, trying to gauge how he was feeling. There was discomfort written in his features, and Langa wished he could do something to erase the pain for him. Langa felt like he was drowning, looking at Reki in front of him. Reki had been _everything_ to him and Langa would never be able to forgive himself if Reki was seriously hurt. If he’d talked to Reki earlier, maybe he wouldn’t have been out here tonight, and gotten hurt the way he did. Maybe Langa really was bad for Reki, but he wouldn’t leave him. Not now, not ever, not until Reki himself told Langa to leave. 

Langa gripped Reki’s face, careful not to jostle him, and whispered promises into his hair. 

“Please just get up, I’ll treat you to lunch every day.”

“Please be okay, I’ll run every delivery for the next two months.”

“Please don’t leave me Reki, _please._ ”

* * *

  
  


This was how the paramedics found them, two boys, huddled in the rain. They nearly had to pry the blue haired one off the other, and only promises of coming in the van had gotten him to release. The red-haired one needed immediate attention, and they were exceedingly careful as they pulled him onto a stretcher, neck locked in place by a brace and arm propped up carefully against his body. The boy seemed to waver in and out of consciousness, eyes scrunching in pain. Clutching two bags to his chest, the other boy sat quietly in the ambulance as they sped through the streets, eyes unblinkingly focused on their patient. 

“L’nga. ‘Sgonna be fine. Just some blood. Don’ w’rry bout’t.” he mumbled quietly, in a moment between bouts of cognizance. 

Their passenger looked up and let out a choked cry, hand moving in an aborted gesture to grab for the patient, before he seemed to remember himself and pull it back. Tears seemed to flow faster after that, silently pouring down his face all the way to the hospital. 

The flurry of movement once they arrived left the blue-haired boy standing in the ER, looking small and lost. A nurse approached him to ask about the patient he had brought in, and that seemed to finally pull him out of his state of shock. He stumbled through an apology and a couple phone calls before collapsing into a chair right in front of the nurse’s desk. 

Soon, two women ran into the ER, looking worriedly around. When they spotted the wet boy, they hurried over to him. One wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close into her, and he pointed the other to the counter where a nurse was waiting to explain the situation to a legal guardian. 

* * *

Langa just stared unseeingly at the doors of the ER, waiting for Reki to come strolling out confidently like he had the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo, that was a lot, huh?
> 
> if you want to see more of this, let me know! i have some of the happier ending drafted out but this was meant to be the original ending lol
> 
> thanks for reading this, remember to kudos, comment, bookmark, subscribe, tell a friend, or yell at me down below ily bye!


	3. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys communicate, properly, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU RESOLVE ISSUES.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im SORRY this took so long it's hard to write happy things when the source is so depressing.
> 
> anyways, HERE!
> 
> it's my apology for the last two chapters, hope you enjoy it.
> 
> ((for anyone finding this after the show finishes airing, i wrote this right before ep 9 came out!))

* * *

A soft hand carding pressed gently through his hair stirred Reki from his slumber. He cracked his eyes open and then shut them again, bright white light burning itself into his corneas. A gasp sounded next to him, and he heard his mom’s voice murmur lightly, 

“Reki? Darling, are you awake?” 

Reki managed a light grunt, and his mom gasped lightly, hand coming to cradle his face. A light kiss pressed into his hair, and Reki let the love lull him back into rest.

The next time Reki managed to wake, two voices talking softly pulled him firmly into consciousness. 

“Does this mean I don’t have to take that math test?” he rasped, blinking tired eyes at his mom and what looked like a doctor.

The doctor laughed lightly, and started examining Reki and his vitals. A ton of pokes and questions later, the doctor stood at the end of Reki’s bed, and gestured for his mom to sit.

“Young man, let me tell you: you have been very, very lucky today. While you’ll have to tell us what it was that you were doing to get you injuries like that, that kind of fall damage, and without a helmet, could easily have left you bedridden for life, or worse. Your right shoulder was dislocated and fractured, which unfortunately because of placement we cannot cast. You’ll be wearing a sling for at least the next six to eight weeks for that. You had a slight case of hypothermia from extended exposure in the rain, but a good round of fluids and warmth should take care of that entirely. Now, the miracle of miracles you seem to have been blessed with. There was a laceration and severe bruising to the back of your head, which can usually lead to loss of vision or hearing. Now as you are thankfully perfectly alright in cognitive terms, we figure that you were protected to some extent when you hit your head. There might be some pain in your neck from the force of the fall, and we’re monitoring you for a concussion, but the scans show no significant damage as of right now.” 

Reki swallowed harshly, throat dry and parched. He knew how badly that could have gone for him, and that he had been so lucky that nothing broke too badly. After the last time he had come home from the skate park injured, his mom had chewed him out for hours. He knew he was in for something similar today, and fell back into the pillows with a sigh.

“Your son has a hard head ma’am, but he’s going to be okay.” The doctor went on.

“That doesn’t mean you have free rein, however. Your previous x-rays show damage in your left wrist, and a head injury as well. While neither today nor the last visit’s damages seem to have compiled, this does mean that you need to be wary of any possible loss in motor skills, senses, or increase in any kind of pain. You are free to be discharged tomorrow, as long as there are no symptoms of cognitive damage overnight.”

After handing his mom the prescriptions and some packets on brain injuries and sports safety, the doctor left, leaving Reki to await the lecture that was soon to come. 

Instead, she sat next to his bed, and held his hand tightly.

“Reki. Sweetheart. I’m going to be honest, these last 10 hours were some of the most terrifying of my life. First you don’t come home before curfew, then I get a call from Langa about coming to the hospital, where I find out that you’ve gone and broken yourself in more places than I can count.”

Reki thought to interject, and remind her that it was only two major injuries and some scrapes, but decided he better not push his luck.

“You were so so lucky that your head wasn’t hurt any worse. You _know_ the consequences Reki, I know you do. How could you do something so dangerous? I suppose it’s my fault, for thinking that you wouldn’t get hurt, that you’d be able to protect yourself. After your father-” she shook her head, skipping past whatever thought had crossed her brain.

“If Langa hadn’t been there- well, I don’t want to think about what could have happened. He found you, he called the ambulance, he stayed with you the entire time. You know he still hasn’t left?”

Reki sat up, looking around as if he had missed Langa lurking in some corner of the small room. His mom, missing nothing, smiled lightly and continued. 

“His mom, such a lovely lady, brought him dry clothes to wear, but he hasn’t left the waiting room since he came in with you last night. The nurses gave him a shock blanket because he was so out of it, but he’s all right now. He’s been waiting for you to wake up, you know?”

Reki fiddled with the edge of his scratchy hospital blanket, mind racing. 

“I’m going to go see if he wants to come in.” 

Before Reki could stop her, his mother walked out of the room, and panic set in. He’d felt so weird around Langa recently, and it was doing bad things in mixture with the anxiety that was already swirling around his head. Before he could spiral too deep into his thoughts, the door flew open with a soft thud. Langa, disheveled and panting, stood there, staring at Reki with an almost desperate look in his eyes. 

“Reki!” he cried out, stumbling towards him, arm outstretched. 

“Langa-” Reki started softly, but the blue-haired boy interrupted him. 

Langa ran his hands over Reki’s legs, feeling them for injury, before moving up. Delicate, shaking fingers smoothed over his torso, and Reki shivered lightly. One hand patted down his unbroken arm, while the other brushed gently over the sling, unwilling to cause any excess pain. Finally, Langa looked into Reki’s face, holding his cheek softly and peering into his eyes, looking for any sign of hurt. 

Reki slowly reached up and grasped Langa’s hand with his good one. 

“I’m fine, Langa. It’s not even that bad.” Reki tried for levity, but Langa just stared at him, eyes shining wet.

“I was so scared, I didn’t even do anything I’m so sorry-”

“I shouldn’t have been out there on my own I wasn’t being careful-”

_“-it’s all my fault.”_

Both boys stared at each other for a moment, shocked into silence by the other’s declaration until, almost as one, they fell into each other. Reki wrapped his arm around Langa, who carefully tucked his head near Langa’s shoulder, holding on as tight as they could without hurting Reki. They stayed like that, tucked securely in the other’s arms, for a good long while.

Eventually, Langa pulled away gently, and sat down in the chair next to Reki’s bed, unwilling to put any amount of distance between them, and grabbed his hand. 

“Listen Reki, I’m sorry. I saw that you were hurting, something was bothering you, and I was too cowardly to ask you what was wrong. I didn’t want to hear the facts, I guess. I know that I was being too much, I was asking for too much from you, but I didn’t want to hear you say it. Maybe if I talked to you sooner, cleared it up, you wouldn’t have been out there alone, you would have been safe, at home or something. If I wasn’t monopolizing all your time, you wouldn’t have to practice at night. Reki I’m so sorry, I just didn’t want to leave you, I didn’t mean to-”

“Langa, _what_ are you talking about?” Reki was beyond bewildered. When had he ever said anything like that? Was that what Langa thought was going on?

“No, it’s not like that at all! I love spending time with you! It wasn’t that, it was- Langa, I just- it’s that- Because, you-” Reki floundered with his words, trying to get out everything that he meant to, properly. He felt Langa squeeze his hand lightly, and breathed in before trying to start again.

“Langa, I’ve been skating for _years_ now. I’ve practiced for so long. But, I can’t catch up to you. You learned so _quickly_ Langa, you’re amazing! I’m just holding you back! You don’t need me anymore, not now. You know what they say, the student surpasses the teacher. I just wanted to try, to get closer to where you were. Maybe if I could then, I wouldn’t… be… useless.” 

Langa’s hand dropped out of Reki’s, and fell limp to the blankets between them. Reki wasn’t surprised, after revealing that terrible secret, Reki wouldn’t want to hold his hand either. The bitterness of inadequacy tasted slightly on his tongue, and Reki almost gagged in the knowledge that he was such a petty person. It was _his_ fault he was feeling this way, why did he have to drag Langa into his problems?

A smooth cup pushed into his hand, and Reki looked up to see Langa guiding a cup with a straw in it towards his mouth. Langa helped him support it as he took a sip, and then put it back on the table next to them. He sat back into the seat, and took Reki’s hand in both of his own, holding on tightly. 

“You. Are Not. Useless.” The soft intensity in Langa’s voice took Reki aback, and he stared in wonder as Langa seemed to steel himself to go on. 

“ _You_ _taught me to skate._ Reki, without you, I would be nowhere, I would be nothing. You don’t hold me back Reki, you’re the reason I fly like I do! You inspire me! I couldn’t have done anything without you, and I don’t _want_ to do anything without you either. It’s hilarious to me that you think you’re useless Reki! You are- you’re absolutely incredible! The board! My board! You did that, you made it perfect Reki, the way no one else could have. I want to skate with you forever. How- how could you think you’re useless?”

Reki had been growing redder and redder throughout Langa’s speech, and now he looked away from him, trying to hide his bright tomato face. 

“Reki, don’t you know how much I-”

A sharp alarm started going off suddenly, and a nurse burst into the room, startling the two of them.

“What’s wrong?” Langa asked, panic-stricken and pale.

“His heartbeat is elevated, way beyond normal levels-” the nurse started, flipping through her charts and analyzing the monitors around Reki. But when her eyes landed on Reki’s red face, and Langa’s clasped hands, she quieted the monitor with the press of a button, and turned with a small smile. 

“Nevermind, it’s nothing to worry about. He’s perfectly fine.”

The commotion in her son’s room however, had drawn Reki’s mother in, and with them this time, was Langa’s mom and Reki’s sisters. The young girls clambered onto Reki’s bed, and their mom grabbed for them, trying to keep her son unhurt. Langa started to slip away, to leave Reki and his family alone, give them their own time, but Reki tightened his grip, and Langa sat back down, content to listen to the girl’s chatter away.

* * *

Later, once Reki is out of the hospital, Langa walks him to school, carrying both their bags as he picks Reki up from his house. He stops them under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, and finally manages to confess completely. Reki grins so widely at him that Langa’s own cheeks hurt in sympathy, and they shyly link hands as they make the rest of their trip to school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so medical wise? i have no idea what's going on big words from doctor shows is what im gonna give ya. this was gonna be a lot shorter, but i couldn't NOT tell Reki the consequences of his actions and let his mom have her say. is there a yuri on ice reference in there somewhere? maybe??? if you find it lmki lost where i put it. did i open reki's dad's pandora's box? also maybe stop asking me questions
> 
> jk jk ask me anything i LOVE to talk about these two
> 
> sorry not sorry they don't technically get together "on-screen" lmao 
> 
> hope this makes up for the last two!
> 
> if you liked it, please remember to comment, kudos, bookmark, or tell a friend!
> 
> [Anime Big Brothers and Sisters Club!](https://discord.gg/hxnjeF37kN) for 18 and older only though!

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind, this is an unreliable narrator. I don’t hate either of the boys, I’m just trying to tell a story. Can the things that happen in this fic happen in real skateboarding? Idk don’t ask me. I skated once like 5 years ago and almost got a concussion. Research? In my fic? No. I make my own backstory because I can’t remember and I can’t be bothered to check. Medical experience? None, idk how bodies work just suspend your disbelief thanks. What month/season is the show in right now? No one knows, aight, I get to pick.
> 
> now comment kudos subscribe bookmark the whole shebang thanks ily


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